The Garden City Telegram
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Brownback: Coal needs to be part of mix
Published 5/30/2008 in News : Area coverage
By STEPHANIE FARLEY
sfarley@gctelegram.com
Clare Gustin, part of Sunflower Electric Power Corp.'s management team, had no questions and only a simple message to U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback on Thursday as he spoke to the public at St. Catherine Hospital.
"Thank you for your help," she told him.
Brownback has publicly voiced his support of Sunflower's proposed expansion project at Holcomb that would add two 700-megawatt coal-fired plants to make a total of three. Rod Bremby, secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, denied the air quality permit for the project in October 2007. Since then, the project has been in a holding pattern, going through battles in both the Kansas Legislature and court system.
In return, Brownback gave Gustin, vice president of member services and external affairs for Sunflower, three replies: "You guys are good folks," "It's been a tough, tough fight" and "It's not over."
Coal -- currently at the heart of Sunflower's operation and the main topic of debate as to its effects on the environment -- was a point of discussion during Brownback's talk. Garden City was his last stop Thursday during his tour of the state's 105 counties.
On Wednesday, he visited Morton, Stanton, Hamilton, Kearny, Grant and Stevens counties. He traveled to Seward, Meade, Haskell and Gray counties before arriving in Finney County at about 4 p.m. Thursday. Brownback spoke of three issues: energy, economy and the environment.
"These three have to travel together," he said.
And in the Sunflower debate, they have. Proponents have said the project not only would benefit the economy of western Kansas and the state, but also be one of the cleanest coal operations and meet some of the immediate energy demand without greatly increasing cost to consumers.
On the other hand, carbon dioxide emissions have been questioned related to the plant.
Brownback said he still sees coal as part of the country's energy portfolio.
"The answer's not 'no,' it's how," he said, adding he doesn't believe the country can walk away from coal.
Roy Dixon agreed, saying, "We just can't break away from coal."
Brownback said energy has been the No. 1 issue and topic during his town hall meetings. Understandable, he said, with the world oil price at about $130 a barrel compared with $18 per barrel in 2002. Some of that's due to who's in control of the oil, Brownback said, with the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) controlling more than 35 percent of world oil production.
The cost, he said, is from an increased oil demand, the dollar value, market volatility, supply and uncertainty about the world oil reserve.
To move forward, Brownback believes the country must, among other things, increase its domestic oil production, continue looking at increased fuel efficiency, expand refineries and start production involving U.S. oil shale deposits.
Brownback said he also supports nuclear and wind power in the country's energy portfolio, but those options come at a higher cost than coal.
"It's not 'no,' it's all of the above," he said of a diversified energy portfolio.
Other issues touched on were:
n Public transit: Brownback said he approves of public transit and funding to support maintaining and developing it in places that make sense. "Clearly, that's gonna be one of the routes forward," he said of energy needs.
n Health care: St. Catherine President/CEO Scott Taylor said the support for critical access hospitals is a good thing but that he'd like to see more support, as well, for essential access hospitals, such as St. Catherine.
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